SMEs employ half of Scots workers

More than 50 per cent of Scotland’s workforce are employed by a small or
medium-sized enterprise (SME), according to the national co-ordinator for Safe
and Healthy Working.

In her talk, Anne Halliday described the work of the new occupational health
and safety service for employees and employers of SMEs in Scotland.

The innovative scheme – the first of its kind in Europe – has been developed
to improve Scotland’s health, enterprise and economy by providing SMEs with
access to confidential advice, support and information, helping them to better
address occupational health and safety issues, such as stress and
musculoskeletal disorders.

A regional network of occupational health and safety advisers are available
to provide a needs assessment service, she said. This is usually followed by
spending around half a day going through an occupational needs report.

Getting the marketing message right is key to the success of the project,
said Halliday, as the two most frequently asked questions by those approaching
the service were: ‘how much will it cost’ and ‘will my organisation be hit with
an enforcement order?’